Starting gate with self-aligning spiked stall partitions



Jan. 5, 1937.

I A. T. J. BAHR STARTING GATE WITH SELF ALIGNING SPIKED STALL PARTITIONS Original Filed Feb. 15, 1932 Patented Jan. 5, 1937 STATES STARTING GATE WITH SELF-ALIGNING srnmn STALL PARTITIONS August T. J. Bahr, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Bahr Starting Gate Gorporation,0hicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application February 15,1932, Serial No.

593,069. Divided and this application ber 26, 1935, Serial No. 51,654

2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a starting gate, and has for one of its principal objects the provision of means whereby race horses may be conveniently held in their proper post positions without danger of injury to the horses, the riders or the assistant starters.

.This application constitutes a division of applicants co -pending application for patent on Starting gate filed February. 15, 1932, Serial H One of the important objects of this invention is to provide means for conveniently and definitely overcoming the delays at the post which not only ruin the chances of many of the starters, lessen the interest of the public in the con- ..test, and subject the starters to criticism, but also put many horses out of racing for all time to come. Another important object of this invention is to provide in a starting gate, an individual padded stall for each horse, the stalls being open at both ends, and of sufficient width to allow a horse to readily pass therethrough or to be conveniently held therein. 7

A further important object of this invention is to provide a starting device for race horses or the like whereby excessive handling at the post 7 by assistant starters is eliminated, as is also the danger of either the starters or other horses being kicked or injured, and whereby horses known as bad actors can be easily controlled.

Still another and further important object of V this invention is to provide a starting gate which 5 is safe, mobile, and reliable, and so constructed that heavy and muddy tracks will not interfere in any way with its operation. The starter gate of this invention will not mar the surface of the track when being placed thereon or removed therefrom, carries its own barrier, and a bell to warn the horses of the start, and can be placed in position and removed in a minimum time.

Another and still further important object of the invention resides in the provision of improved stall partitions for a starter gate of this type, which stall partitions are movable upwardly in a foldable manner when the starting gate is to be moved, so that there will be no excessive drag on the surface of the track.

Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawing and following specification.

The invention, in a preferred form, is illus- N overntrated in the drawing and. hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing? I Figure 1 is a front elevation of the race track starting gate of this invention,

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view of the construction and mounting taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l with a portion broken away.

Figure 3 is an end view similar to Figure 2, but showing the parts in another position and taken from the right-hand end of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail view of the partition and illustrating a slight modification certain parts being omitted for clarity.

As shown-in the drawing:

The reference numeral 8 0 indicates in a general way the overhead supporting member for the starting gate of this invention which member is secured and supporte'd'at each end by columns l2 and I4 mounted on sets of wheels l6 and I8.

Suspended from the overhead supporting member H1 is a number of partition supports 20. An extension 22 designed and adapted to receive and retain a pivot pin 24 is attached to and forms a part of the lower portion of each of the partition supports 29.

The truss or overhead supporting member is constructed with a two inch camber and is built in sections as illustrated; The supporting wheels l6 and I8 are swiveledon ball bearings, and are off-center as shown, allowing them to be very easily turned whenever the machine is pulled or pushed, and automatically assuming the proper angle to move the gate in the desired direction. The wheels are preferably dual and provided with heavy pneumatic tires.

The standards 20 are preferably composed of sections of pipe or metal tubing, and are joined by means of cross-braces 2! as best shown in Figure 1, thereby providing a particularly strong construction. The outer edges of the truss or overhead supporting member l0 are rounded as shown at H, this providing sufficient strength while at the same time assuring a graceful structure. It will be noted that the supporting pins for the wheels I6 and IS extend upwardly through the frame ll of the gate and are held in position by means of fastening nuts or the like l9 which at the same time allow of an easy rotation thereof on the bearin s 2H.

Partitions 26 consisting of frames of channel or angle iron or the like, and covered with padding '28 form a series of stalls or passageways in which horses can be held awaiting the starting signal, said partitions being of sufficient width to extending to the rear and adapted to fit the bottom of the partition support 20 when said partitions 25 are lowered.

It will be noted that the lower ends of the standards 20 are provided with rearward extensions 23 which, in addition to acting as extra length elements for the stalls formed by the partitions also serve to protect the legs and feet of the jockeys from being crushed against the partitions when the horses are driven therebetween preparatory to starting them.

The stall partitions are so built into the sup' porting trusses that they are very rigid, and the width of each stall partition is such that the horses are prevented from bumping into one another when they break from the gate, thereby avoiding accidents. The assistant starter standing in front of any partition is protected by this width, and his position thereby does notinterfere with the horses. Furthermore, he is protected by this width from being injured or stepped upon by the horses.

Extending rearwardly from each partition 26 is a combination bracing and guide pin 21 which fits closely into a sleeve or the like 29, the sleeve being formed in the rearward extension or stop element 23 as best shown in Figure 2. There are preferably two or more of these guide pins with corresponding sleeves for each partition, and they extend for a considerable distance into the extension or stop member 23 and are also quite rigid with the partition itself,so that sidewise movement of the front end of the partition is positively prevented, and a very secure bracing of the pivoted partition accordingly results.

Metal spikes 30' and 3| extending downwardly from the lower edges of the partitions penetrate the surface of the track to support and hold the partition 26 against sidewise strains and stresses caused by lunging or crowding horses. Excess length spikes 3| are preferably used at the forward ends of the partitions as a safety measure becausesaid ends are a consider-able distance from the rigid partition support. The spikes are preferably at a slight angle to afford better protection. An eye-bolt 32 secured to the inside of each partition adjacent the lower edge, provides a means for attaching a cable or the. like 34 for raising or lowering said partition. Each cable 34 passes over pulleys 38 secured to the partition supports 20 and thence upwardly to a drum 40 mounted on a shaft 42 in the overhead supporting member ID.

Each partition 26-is formed of a plurality of angle irons or strips, and is hollow as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the padding 28 simply covering the outside, and on account of the width of each partition, there is ample space for the cable 34 to move in the open upper portion of the partition when the partition is being raised or lowered. This movement of the cable with respect to the partition is best illustrated by a comparison of the respective positions shown in Figures 2 and 3. Also the cross-braces 2| for the standards 20 are so arranged that suitable movement of the cable 34 between the standards 20 is allowed withoutany contact with the cross-brace 2!. This assures a very free motion of the partitions both up and down, and eliminates friction to a very considerable extent, thereby providing a much easier working installation and one which is very satisfactory from an operating standpoint. The weight of each partition 26 is such that it will readily drop into place by gravity when desired.

One drum 40 is required for each cable 34, and these drums can be either steel or wood,

- and all drums and gears are keyed on the shaft.

braking power to govern the speed of the descent being obtained by use of the crank.

The pivoted construction of the stalls as described above allows the same tofold up upon the order of ,a jack knife when the starting gate is to be moved. The balancing of the same on the trusses is such that very little power to raise the same is necessary, thereby enabling the motor 44 to be dispensed with, and the manually operated crank used exclusively.

From an inspection of Figures 2 and 3, it will be noted that the supporting standards or" end members l2 and I4 are braced by means of curved buttress plates 45 which while affording sufficient strength are of limited extent so that a clear view of the horses by both the starter and the spectators is attained, and there is no blocking of this view at any time on account of the very open nature of the entire structure itself.

In order to facilitate movement of the entire .of the lateral extending frame members l1,

thereby providing ready access to the bearings for. the shafts which support the wheels l6, l8, etc., and furthermore, these doors may be'used to provide access to storage spaces or the like built into the housing at these points. I

A modification of the construction of the partition is shown in Figure 4 in which the triangular shaped solid portion 54 extending further to the rear than the part 52 is used as a counterbalance to assist in raising or lowering the partitions.

On account of this rearwardly extending counter-weight, stall partitions constructed in this fashion are even more properly balanced, and consequently less power is required to raise the same. i

It will be evident that herein is provided a starting gate for race tracks or the like which will give the starter a complete view of all the horses and his assistants, and the starter can always see thateach horse is ready to break. Furthermore, the public can always have a complete view of all the horses.

With the partitions raised the device will pass through the ordinary narrow gate or opening in a fence. The weight also is shifted, by such raising, to a position nearer the center line of the starting gate which greatly facilitates moving said gate over rough or uneven ground and also provides a Wide margin of safety against tipping. Moreover the pivot pins can be made rap 7 idly removable, thus permitting said partitions to be easily and quickly removed for transportation.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted here!- on otherwise than as necesitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A race track starting gate, comprising a sup porting frame, a plurality of self-aligning partitions pivotally mounted therein for vertical movement in their own planes, means for raising and lowering said partitions, and spikes in each partition for retaining the same in desired position with respect to other partitions and the track.

2.,A portable race track starting gate, comprising a supporting frame, a plurality of selfaligning pivotally mounted partitions therein, for vertical movement in their own planes, means for lifting the forward portions of said partitions inwardly and means for securing said partitions in proper alignment when in their lowered position.

AUGUST '1. J. BAHR. 

